Lord Wang looked towards the direction of the palace and a very low yet penetrating voice came out, "Who dares to meddle in the affairs of the Demon Suppression Office?"

The distant footsteps seemed somewhat chaotic for a moment but soon regained composure, becoming more urgent.

Before long, a middle-aged man with a round face, wearing a crimson official robe, approached. Behind him were more than twenty burly men carrying bundles, undoubtedly skilled individuals with cultivation. The bundles they carried were definitely not bedding.

The middle-aged man first bowed in a polite manner, but his words carried a clear threat, "Lord Wang, it's quite late, and we really shouldn't trouble you. After all, this is Prince Jin's Mansion. Concerning the dignity of Great Liang, barging in directly may not be appropriate."

Lord Wang's slender eyes still stared at the ground, and his cold voice echoed, "Four years ago, we only burned a Wang consort. Did that make you think the Demon Suppression Office is easy to deal with?"

The middle-aged man remained composed, responding, "There are rules for everything. The Demon Suppression Office has its rules, and barging into the mansion directly is against those rules. Moreover, when it comes to royal matters, if there are issues, it's the responsibility of the Imperial Clan Temple. Lord Wang, as the Demon Suppression Commander, you've overstepped your bounds."

Only then did Lord Wang turn around, not looking at the middle-aged man but speaking with a cold tone, "Are you lecturing me on rules? The Demon Suppression Commander should follow the intentions of the Great Liang court, isn't that what you mean?"

Pausing for a moment, as if contemplating something, Lord Wang continued, "Just a Demon Suppression Commander. Do you really think I begged the Emperor for this position? You wouldn't happen to have lost your mind at the Imperial Clan Temple, would you?"

This left the middle-aged man genuinely frustrated. Who was he? Zhao, the ninth Prince of Great Liang, and an official of the Imperial Clan Temple! Even the Emperor would pay respects to him when leaving the palace.

With an expression of anger, he threatened loudly, "Wang Qingzhi, tomorrow I'll report to the Emperor and charge you with a crime of great disrespect! Prepare to be arrested and your entire family executed!"

Now Lord Wang cast a glance at the stubborn middle-aged man, saying, "Who do you think I am? Zhao Old Nine, right? Hurry up and get lost, don't delay my work."

Zhao Old Nine found himself in a difficult situation. Who had thought that his attempt to exert pressure on the Demon Suppression Office using the prestige of the Great Liang royal family would deviate so far from his intended script? He knew about the peculiarities of the Demon Suppression Office, but today he had no choice but to step in.

If the underground operations were discovered, he would face at least dismemberment. If things went poorly, his entire family would be wiped out.

"Wang Qingzhi, are you really going to persist with this unilateral action? Don't blame me for being impolite."

As soon as the words fell, his right hand rose, and the more than twenty people with him unpacked bundles about half a meter high, revealing the standard weapons of the Great Liang Black Guards: crossbows with wings capable of penetrating armor from thirty meters away!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

More than twenty of these crossbows were glaringly pointed at the people from the Demon Suppression Office.

Zhao Old Nine had thought it through. If this group of people didn't recognize the situation, they would be killed. Erase all traces, kill the few people in the Wang Mansion, and burn it all down. Perhaps then this matter could be put to rest.

Seeing this, Lord Wang didn't waste any words. Without waiting for Zhao Old Nine to give a signal, he waved his hand, leading the people from the Demon Suppression Office to leave.

He wasn't afraid of the rabble in front of him. There might be casualties among those who followed him, and it wasn't worth it. Every official of the Demon Suppression Office was precious; they could die in the line of duty, but not in these messy affairs – it wasn't worth it.

Zhao Old Nine, the Imperial Clan Temple's Qing, led his subordinates and accompanied the Demon Suppression Office members to the entrance of Prince Jin's Mansion, only stopping when they disappeared into the night. Seeing them vanish, Zhao Old Nine finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He ordered ten people to stay guard at the mansion's entrance, wary of the Demon Suppression Office members returning. Then, he led the remaining group straight to the Imperial Palace. In this matter, he needed to inform the Emperor, secure a foothold first, and deal with the aftermath later.

Before reaching the Imperial Palace, Zhao Old Nine saw a eunuch in red robes briskly approaching under the protection of a group. It was none other than Wei Zhongliang, the head eunuch of the Black Guards, the Grand Eunuch of the Great Liang, and the Emperor's confidant.

They were quite familiar with each other, and as Zhao was about to greet him, a chilling voice cut through, "Kill them all." The whirring sound followed, the activation of the eagle-wing crossbows. A black cloud appeared in the night sky between the two groups, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

In moments, the ground was littered with bodies, and blood flowed like a river. "Leave a few to clean up, the rest can go back to sleep," Wei Zhongliang commanded, turning away and walking back the way he came. Beside him was the Thousand Commander surnamed Zheng, who had been present at the Demon Suppression Office earlier.

"Godfather, killing them like this, won't it cause trouble?" Zheng asked. Wei Zhongliang shook his head, "The Emperor's orders. Go find Lord Wang near Wenfang Street, tell him the troublemakers are taken care of, and thank them for their efforts." Zheng nodded and retreated stealthily.

Wei Zhongliang then instructed another commander beside him, "Go to Lord Zhao's house. If you encounter anyone from the Demon Suppression Office, be polite." After giving his orders, he rushed towards the Imperial Palace and soon disappeared under the towering walls.

The night in the Imperial Palace was like a ferocious beast selecting its prey.

Zheng didn't find anyone from the Demon Suppression Office but witnessed a faint fire near Prince Jin's Mansion and heard a thunderous sound coming from the direction of the Imperial Clan Temple. Before the shock on his face could subside, a voice that pierced the soul echoed, "The Demon Suppression Office's decree: obstructers of demon suppression, kill! Those who attack alongside demons, kill! Those involved with demon malevolence, kill!"

Three consecutive "kill" commands reverberated over the city of Kyoto, unheard by those without cultivation. Without saying a word, Zheng headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

As he walked, he saw the high walls of the palace tremble slightly from a distance, thinking he might have been mistaken. After leaving Prince Jin's Mansion, Lord Wang, the Demon Suppression Commander, instructed Xuan's group, along with Bai Hu and Chen Xuanze, to return to the Demon Suppression Office, disappearing completely.

Upon returning to the Demon Suppression Office, Chen Xuanze soon heard the rolling thunder from the direction of the Imperial Clan Temple and received the transmission. He looked disappointed – such a good opportunity for demon suppression had been ruined.

He thought, "Either the Supreme Commander intervened, or an old demon hidden in the office took action." As for why the Black Guards died, it had nothing to do with the Demon Suppression Office; why bother about their foolish actions?

What outsiders didn't know was that, aside from those with cultivation hearing the warning, Prince Jin's Mansion appeared unharmed, but inside it was a scene of desolation. The tallest tower of the Imperial Clan Temple collapsed, while the Imperial Palace showed no significant changes, except that the golden dragon of qi and fortune overhead had shrunk slightly.

Zhao Old Nine was executed, and his family annihilated by the Black Guards.